School inspection handbook

Transcription

1 Handbook for inspecting schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended by the Education Act 2011) This document was archived on 28 August This handbook provides instructions and guidance for inspectors conducting inspections under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended). It sets out what inspectors must do and what schools can expect, and provides guidance for inspectors on making their judgements. Age group: 0-19 Published: January 2015 Reference no:

2 The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone , or enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk. You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk. This publication is available at Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our website for news, information and updates at Piccadilly Gate Store Street Manchester M1 2WD T: Textphone: E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: No Crown copyright 2015

3 Contents Introduction 4 Part 1: How schools will be inspected 5 Before the inspection 5 During the inspection 14 Integrated inspections of education and boarding or residential provision 27 Aligned inspections of maintained and non-maintained schools or academies with dual registration as children s homes 28 Schools causing concern 28 After the inspection 31 Quality assurance and complaints 32 Part 2: The evaluation schedule how schools will be judged 33 Judging overall effectiveness: the quality of education provided in the school 33 Grade descriptors overall effectiveness: the quality of education provided in the school 38 Quality of leadership in and management of the school 40 Grade descriptors Quality of leadership in and management of the school 49 The behaviour and safety of pupils at the school 52 Grade descriptors The behaviour and safety of pupils at the school 55 Quality of teaching in the school 57 Grade descriptors Quality of teaching in the school 61 Achievement of pupils at the school 63 Grade descriptors Achievement of pupils at the school 71 The effectiveness of the early years provision: the quality and standards 73 Grade descriptors effectiveness of the early years provision: the quality and standards 75 Effectiveness of the sixth form provision: the quality of education provided in the post-16 study programmes 78 Grade descriptors effectiveness of sixth form provision: the quality of education provided in the post-16 study programmes 81 Evaluating the quality of boarding and residential provision in schools 83 Annex 1. Evidence form (EF) codes 84 Annex 2: Subject codes for use on evidence forms (EFs) 86

4 Introduction 1. This handbook describes the main activities undertaken by inspectors conducting inspections of schools in England under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) from September It also sets out the judgements that inspectors will make and on which they will report. This handbook now forms the single key resource for the inspection of schools under section 5, except for the additional detailed guidance on safeguarding provided in Inspecting safeguarding in maintained schools and academies The handbook has two parts. Part 1: How schools will be inspected This contains instructions and guidance for inspectors on the preparation for and conduct of school inspections. Part 2: The evaluation schedule This contains guidance for inspectors on judging the quality of education provided by the schools they inspect, and provides an indication of the main types of evidence they collect and analyse. 1 Inspecting safeguarding in maintained schools and academies (140143), Ofsted, January 2015; 4 January 2015, No

5 Part 1: How schools will be inspected Before the inspection Inspectors planning and preparation 3. The lead inspector must prepare for the inspection by gaining a broad overview of the school s recent performance and how this may have changed since the last section 5 inspection. The outcomes of this preparation must be summarised on evidence forms (EFs). 4. Inspectors must use all available evidence to develop an initial picture of the school s academic performance. Planning for the inspection must be informed by analysis of: the previous inspection report the findings of any recent Ofsted survey and/or monitoring letters responses from Parent View, 2 Ofsted s online survey available for parents 3 issues raised by, or the findings from, the investigation of any qualifying complaints 4 about the school (inspectors do not investigate individual complaints but they must consider any wider issues raised by the complaint) 5 information available from the provider information portal 6, including any warning notices issued to maintained schools 7, the executive summary and areas for development of the most recent Ofsted inspection report on the relevant local authority s child protection arrangements; this may be either as a stand-alone inspection or as part of the wider inspection of services for Parents refers to mothers, fathers and/or carers. 4 Ofsted has specific powers (under section 11A-C) of the Education Act 2005 (as amended) to investigate certain complaints known as qualifying complaints. Further guidance is available in Complaints about Ofsted: guidance for parents (080113), April 2014; 5 Further guidance for inspectors on obtaining complaints and concerns about a school in preparation of an inspection can be found in Inspector guidance for obtaining complaints and concerns information held by Ofsted in preparation for school inspections (130128), Ofsted, 2013; 6 The provider information portal (PIP) displays a high level view for Ofsted inspectors of information about providers we inspect and regulate. 7 Warning notices for academies are listed at Inspectors should also note that they can locate individual warning notices by conducting a search on the Gov.uk website by typing the name of the academy followed by the words warning notice into the search facility. For example: January 2015, No

6 children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers information on the school s website, including its statement on the use of the pupil premium, 8 the statutory sharing with parents of curriculum information (so the lead inspector can start to assess the breadth and balance of the school s curriculum and whether it is likely to promote preparation for, and an appreciation of life in modern Britain), the special educational needs (SEN) information report, and other information for parents 9 data from RAISEonline, including attendance and exclusions, the school data dashboard, 10 the sixth form performance and assessment (PANDA) report, the Level 3 Value Added (L3VA) data and available data about success rates, and progress in English and mathematics academy funding agreements, including any specific information about curriculum and governance. 5. There may also be other relevant information that is in the public domain and reported in the press. Inspectors should therefore conduct a brief internet search as part of their pre-inspection planning to see whether there are any safeguarding or other issues - for example governance - that may need to be followed up during inspection. When evaluating the effectiveness of a school s safeguarding procedures, inspectors should also ask whether there have been any safeguarding incidents since the last inspection of the school. Inspectors should record the school s response. 6. The lead inspector should prepare and distribute brief joining instructions for the inspection team. These should include: essential information about the school and the timings for the inspection a brief analysis of the pre-inspection information, including important areas to be followed up an outline of inspection activity for the first day for example, planned lesson observations and any meetings with pupils or staff; this will be finalised once on site. 7. Lead inspectors should deploy their inspection team members as they see fit. All members of the inspection team must contribute to the evaluation of each 8 Throughout this document, disadvantaged pupils refers to those pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support. 9 Information for schools about information required on a school website is available at (Guidance on the use of the school data dashboard is also available on this link.) 6 January 2015, No

7 of the four key judgements and any early years and/or sixth form provision and come to a collective view about the quality of the education provided by the school. 8. Ofsted may schedule concurrent inspections of schools with collaborative arrangements that share important aspects of their provision (such as schools with a shared sixth form or an inclusion unit). Inspectors should make sure that they communicate with each other in advance of and during the inspection. They should ensure that sufficient consideration is given to the emerging judgements about the linked provision they are inspecting. 9. The inspection of boarding or residential provision in a school is undertaken by one or more social care inspectors. Contact between the education and social care inspectors should take place on the preparation day. Guidance on preinspection activity and notification arrangements for integrated inspections is set out in Conducting inspections of boarding and residential provision in schools. 11 Safeguarding 10. It is essential that inspectors are familiar with the content of the following key documents: the Department for Education s statutory guidance for schools 12 and colleges, 13 Keeping children safe in education, Keeping children safe in education: information for all school and college staff, 15 DfE, 2014 Working together to safeguard children, The statutory guidance for schools and colleges, Keeping children safe in education, came into force on 3 April The guidance sets out the responsibilities placed on schools and colleges to safeguard and promote the 11 Conducting inspections of boarding and residential provision in schools (100180), Ofsted, 2014; 12 It applies to all schools (whether maintained, non-maintained or independent), including academies and pupil referral units, governing bodies and headteachers of maintained schools (including aided and foundation schools). It does not include maintained nursery schools. 13 It applies to further education colleges and sixth-form colleges, and relates to young people under the age of 18, but excludes academies and free schools (which are required to comply with relevant safeguarding legislation by virtue of their funding agreement). 14 Keeping children safe in education, Department for Education, 2014; 15 Keeping children safe in education: information for all school and college staff, Department for Education, 2014; 16 Working together to safeguard children, Department for Education, 2013; January 2015, No

8 welfare of children. It replaces Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education. 12. In the event of concerns or queries the following telephone number is available to inspectors: Ofsted helpline ( ). 13. In the event of an ongoing incident coming to light during the inspection, reference should be made to Inspecting safeguarding in maintained schools and academies, which contains guidance on what to include in the inspection report. Inspection of religious education and collective worship Schools with a religious character 14. If a voluntary or foundation school (including an academy) is designated as having a denominational religious character ( a school with a religious character ), then denominational religious education, school ethos and the content of collective worship are inspected under section 48 of the Education Act Academies designated as having a religious character by the Secretary of State are inspected in an equivalent way by virtue of a provision in the academy s funding agreement. The inspectors who conduct section 48 inspections are appointed by the school s governing body, or the foundation governors in a voluntary controlled school, having consulted with person(s) prescribed in regulations (normally the appropriate religious authority). The inspectors are normally drawn from the relevant faith group s section 48 inspection service, although not all faiths have their own inspectors organised in this way. Section 48 inspections should be conducted within five school years from the end of the school year in which the last section 48 inspection took place In schools with a religious character, section 5 inspectors may not comment on the content of religious worship or on denominational religious education. However, inspectors may comment on the contribution of assemblies and teaching (in any subject with the exception of RE) to pupils personal and spiritual, moral, social and cultural development, and their behaviour and safety. In the case of other maintained schools and academies, including free schools that are not designated by the Secretary of State as having a religious 17. Regulation 4 of The Education (School Inspection) (England) (Amendment) Regulations January 2015, No

9 character, and where RE is being provided in line with the locally agreed syllabus, RE is inspected under section 5 of the Education Act The relationship between section 5 and section 48 inspections is governed by a protocol between Ofsted and signatory faith group inspectorates. 17. The Ofsted lead inspector should check the section 48 arrangements and: if a section 48 inspection is occurring at the same time, the section 5 report should simply mention that a section 48 inspection also took place under the information about this school section; evidence from the section 48 inspection should not be used in a section 5 report if a section 48 inspection has been carried out since the previous section 5 inspection, inspectors should inform themselves of any key issues raised but should not use its evidence in their own inspection if no section 48 inspection by a suitable person has taken place, the lead inspector should check the arrangements; if governors have not arranged for a section 48 inspection, then inspectors should conclude that they have failed to meet a key expectation. Schools without a religious character 18. Schools, including academies, that are not defined as having a religious character must conform to the legal requirements for non-faith schools: RE in maintained schools (except voluntary aided, those with specific trust requirements and voluntary controlled/foundation schools whose parents request denominational RE) should be based on the locally agreed syllabus established by the local Standing Advisory Council for Religious Education (SACRE). RE should reflect the religious traditions in Britain, which are, in the main, Christian, while taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Britain. It also means that a school or academy without a religious designation must not provide an RE syllabus (or any other) to pupils by means of any catechism or formulary that is distinctive of any particular religious denomination. Academies may, but are not required to, follow the locally agreed RE syllabus. Alternatively, they can devise their own syllabus, but it must be in line with the legislation that underpins the locally agreed syllabus as mentioned above. Non-faith academies must provide collective worship that is wholly or mainly of a broadly Christian character. Inspectors should note any requirements of their funding agreements. 18 Inspectors must be mindful of certain circumstances when schools provide RE as part of the locally agreed syllabus irrespective of the schools religious designation. January 2015, No

10 10 A school can reflect the religious backgrounds represented in its community in its collective worship and RE, as long as the majority of provision is broadly Christian. Alternatively, the family backgrounds of some or all pupils may lead the headteacher and governing body to conclude that broadly Christian collective worship is not appropriate. The headteacher can apply to the local SACRE to have the broadly Christian requirement disapplied and replaced by collective worship distinctive of another faith. The headteacher should consult the governing body before doing so. Academies should apply to the Secretary of State via the Educational Funding Agency (EFA). Separately registered childcare provision 19. Early years or childcare provision of more than two hours that is not managed by the governing body must normally be registered with Ofsted. Where provision managed directly by a school governing body includes care for children under three years old, or where no child attending is a pupil of the school, it must be registered by Ofsted and is not inspected under section 5. The views of parents of registered pupils 20. Inspectors have a statutory duty to have regard to the views of parents. When the inspection service provider (ISP) sends confirmation of the inspection to the school by , this will include a letter that gives formal notification of the inspection for parents. It will also explain Parent View and how to contact inspectors. The school must make every effort and take such steps as are reasonably practicable to notify all parents of registered pupils of the inspection, using this letter. Schools should encourage parents to complete Parent View by placing a link on their website to the Parent View website: Where the response rate for Parent View is low, inspectors must take steps during the inspection to gather further evidence of the views of parents. In addition, the school should be encouraged to notify parents using its own electronic systems (such as SMS messages), where available. 21. Where the inspection is conducted without notice (see below) the same process will apply. 22. The principal source of information that inspectors will use to access the views of parents is Parent View. Inspectors will also take account of the results of any surveys carried out by the school or commissioned by the school. Notification and introduction 23. The lead inspector will normally contact the school by telephone to announce the inspection at, or just after, midday on the working day before the inspection. However, Ofsted may conduct inspections without notice. Where the inspection is conducted without notice, the lead inspector will normally telephone the school about 15 minutes before arriving on site. In this situation, January 2015, No

11 the inspector will use this initial call to inform the school that the inspection is about to commence and will leave all other arrangements until arrival at the school. 24. In announced inspections, lead inspectors should bear in mind that they may not be able to make contact with the school immediately. They should reserve sufficient time to ensure that they make direct contact during the afternoon before the first day of the inspection. 25. If the headteacher is unavailable when the call is made to the school, the lead inspector should ask to speak to the most senior member of staff available. Once the lead inspector has spoken to the school and is able to confirm that the inspection will take place, s/he will inform the ISP, who will send formal confirmation to the school by The telephone call is the first opportunity to initiate a professional relationship between the lead inspector and the headteacher. It should be short and focused on practical issues. Inspectors should not use this conversation to probe or investigate the school s self-evaluation. January 2015, No

12 27. The purpose of the lead inspector s notification call is to: inform the school of the inspection make the school aware of its statutory duty to inform parents of the inspection, and that Parent View is the main vehicle for gathering the views of parents at the point of inspection; inspectors should remind the school that Ofsted s letter to parents containing the link to Parent View may be sent electronically as well as a paper copy sent via pupil post make arrangements for the inspection; this includes an invitation to the headteacher to participate in joint observations and main inspection team meetings make arrangements for discussions with key staff establish what the governance structure of the school or academy is, 19 and make arrangements for a meeting with the chair of governors and as many governors as possible, and/or representatives of those responsible for governance, and request that as many governors as possible are also present at the feedback meeting request either a face-to-face meeting or a telephone call with a representative from the local authority, academy chain or other relevant responsible body; this does not apply to stand-alone academy converters request that, where possible, a representative from the local authority, academy chain or other relevant responsible body is present at the inspection feedback; this does not apply to stand-alone academy converters request that relevant school documents are made available as soon as possible from the start of the inspection (see below) provide an opportunity for the school to ask any questions establish whether the school has any pupils who attend off-site alternative provision, either on a full- or part-time basis. Inspectors must ask the school about the registration status of any alternative providers that they use. Any provider of alternative provision must be registered as an independent school if it caters full-time for five or more pupils of compulsory school age, or one such pupil who is looked-after, or has a statement of special educational needs or disabilities (SEND) 19 This can be checked with the headteacher as part of the call. Where multi-academy trusts (MATs) have delegated responsibility to local governing bodies, this should be set out in a statement of delegation. Academies should also set out their governance structure in their annual statement of accounts, which can generally be accessed through the DfE performance tables site. Inspectors should clarify where responsibility lies and who they should talk with during the inspection, especially where a school is part of a MAT. 12 January 2015, No

13 establish whether the school has an off-site unit run by the school or in partnership with other schools establish whether the school is either providing support for other schools or receiving it; if so, inspectors should include this information, giving the names of the school(s), in the school context section of the report. This should include any such activity over the previous 12 months. 28. If the school has a special educational needs resource base delegated to it, or the local authority maintains direct responsibility for the period of time when the pupils in the provision are within mainstream classes at the school being inspected, the resource base must be inspected and inspectors must consider evidence about the resourced provision when making judgements about the school overall. 29. The lead inspector should obtain specific information about any resource base during the initial contact with the school, including: the number of pupils and the range of the needs catered for by the specially resourced provision, together with pupils timetables, including when they are taught within mainstream classes (with and without support) and when they receive specialist support in separate resourced provision the type/s of language/communication systems used; if the specialist provision is for deaf pupils, it is important to establish whether a British sign language interpreter is required when meeting with the pupils (the lead inspector should contact the ISP as soon as possible if this support is needed) staffing arrangements and details of any outreach services provided by the resourced provision. 30. Inspectors should also request that the following information is made available at the start of the inspection: a summary of any school self-evaluation (if not already provided to the lead inspector) the current school improvement plan school timetable, current staff list and times for the school day any information about pre-planned interruptions to normal school routines during the inspection the single central record that summarises the checks and vetting of all staff working with pupils all logs that record exclusions, pupils taken off roll, incidents of poor behaviour and racist incidents records and analysis of bullying, including racist, disability and homophobic bullying January 2015, No

14 a list of referrals made to the designated person for safeguarding in the school and those that were subsequently referred to the local authority, along with brief details of the resolution up-to-date attendance records records of the evaluation of the quality of teaching, but inspectors should not expect to see records of graded lesson observations information about the school s performance management arrangements, including the most recent performance management outcomes and their relationship to salary progression; inspectors should make it clear that this must be provided in an anonymised format documented evidence of the work of governors 20 and their impact any reports of external evaluation of the school, including any review of governance or pupil premium. Requests for deferral or cancellation 31. If a school requests a deferral of its inspection, the lead inspector must immediately make Ofsted aware by contacting the Ofsted helpline number provided above at paragraph 12. Ofsted will decide whether this should be granted in accordance with its published policy on the deferral of inspections. The deferral policy makes clear that the absence of the headteacher is not normally a reason for deferring an inspection. If a school is within six months of confirmed closure, but the headteacher does not request a cancellation at the point of contact, the lead inspector should call the duty desk to highlight this and get advice as to whether the inspection should still be carried out. A decision will be made on a case by case basis. During the inspection The start of the on-site inspection 32. Inspectors must show their identity badges on arrival and ensure that the headteacher (or other senior member of staff) has been informed of their arrival. 33. The lead inspector should meet briefly with the headteacher and/or senior leadership team at the beginning of the inspection to: introduce any team inspectors 20 Governors refers to those responsible for governance in a school. 14 January 2015, No

15 make arrangements for a longer meeting at a convenient time with the headteacher to discuss the school s self-evaluation and other relevant matters confirm arrangements for meetings with representatives of those responsible for the governance of the school and with key staff confirm arrangements for providing feedback after lesson observations (see paragraphs 45 and 46) request information about staff absence and other practical issues ascertain whether there are particular reasons why any teachers should not be observed, for example where they are subject to performance management procedures ensure that the headteacher is aware that Ofsted s evidence from lesson observations, whether joint or otherwise, should not be used as evidence in capability/disciplinary proceedings or for the purposes of performance management. 34. Where there is more than one inspector, a short team meeting should take place to clarify inspection activities, the initial areas to be explored and individual roles and responsibilities. Gathering and recording evidence 35. Inspectors must spend as much time as possible gathering evidence on teaching and learning, observing in lessons, scrutinising work (including in pupils books and folders), talking to pupils about their work, gauging both their understanding and their engagement in learning, and obtaining pupils perceptions of typical teaching. 36. Inspectors must record their evidence clearly and legibly on evidence forms (EFs), ensuring that all relevant sections of the form are completed for all evidence-gathering activities. This includes records of analyses of data and the evidence that underpins key judgements. EFs should also be used to summarise the main points of discussion when feeding back to leaders and governors. Where an external review of governance and/or of the school s use of the pupil premium is recommended, these must also be recorded and coded on an EF. 37. EFs may be scrutinised for the purposes of retrieval and quality assurance monitoring and in the event of a complaint. It is important that inspectors record accurately the time spent gathering the evidence recorded on the EF. Inspectors should highlight or identify any information that was provided in confidence. Lesson observations 38. The key objectives of lesson observations are to inform the evaluation of the overall quality of teaching over time and its contribution to learning and January 2015, No

16 achievement, and to assess the behaviour and safety of pupils and the impact of leadership and management in the classroom. When inspectors carry out observations in lessons, they should not grade the quality of teaching for that individual session or indeed the overall quality of the lesson. Where there is sufficient evidence, inspectors will grade the other key judgements: achievement; behaviour and safety; and leadership and management. For short observations, inspectors might not award grades. 39. Inspectors must not advocate a particular method of planning, teaching or assessment. They will not look for a preferred methodology but must record aspects of teaching and learning that they consider are effective, and identify ways in which teaching and learning can be improved. 40. Through lesson observations and subsequent discussions with senior staff and teachers, inspectors should ensure that they: judge the accuracy of teachers and leaders evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning gather evidence about how well individual pupils and particular groups of pupils are learning, gaining knowledge and understanding, and making progress, including those who have special educational needs, those who are disadvantaged 21 and the most able collect sufficient evidence to support detailed and specific recommendations about any improvements needed to teaching and learning, behaviour and safety, and leadership and management. 41. Inspectors will not expect teachers to prepare lesson plans for the inspection. However, they will use the evidence gathered from lesson observations to help judge the overall quality of the school s curriculum. 42. Lead inspectors should use their professional judgement to plan appropriate observations. For example, inspectors may engage in: short visits to a number of lessons, spending a few minutes in each short observations of small group teaching, for example of phonics lesson observations of more than 25 minutes, during which they may observe activities and talk with pupils about their work tracking a class or specific group of pupils to assess their experience of a school day or part of a school day inspectors may identify a class or classes that contain one or more pupils from the specific groups identified in the pre-inspection analysis. In this way, the experience, progress and 21 Throughout this document, disadvantaged pupils refers to those pupils for whom the pupil premium provides support. 16 January 2015, No

17 learning of these pupils can be judged within the context of other pupils experience. 43. Joint observations carried out with the headteacher and/or senior staff may be part of lesson observation within any of these approaches. Not all teachers will necessarily be observed. This will be the case in most secondary school and large primary school inspections. 44. The lead inspector should share the lesson observation strategy with the inspection team and ensure that the school clearly understands the rationale for it. Lesson observations should cover a range of subjects, key stages and ability groups. The school should not normally be informed in advance about the lessons to be observed. Feedback and discussion with teachers and other staff 45. With the exception of joint observations, where feedback is given by the headteacher or senior member of staff, inspectors must offer feedback to teachers. In many cases, it may be more effective for inspectors to provide an evaluation of strengths and areas for improvement to teachers at programmed times. Therefore, feedback may, at the discretion of inspectors, take a variety of forms, such as one to one, with groups of observed teachers, or to whole staff groups. 46. When giving feedback to teachers following lesson observations, inspectors should not provide an overall grade for the lesson or for the quality of teaching (numerically or in words). If asked, inspectors should provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of what they have observed. Inspectors must ensure that this feedback does not constitute a view about whether the teacher is a good teacher or otherwise, or indeed whether the quality of teaching itself was good or otherwise, as neither of these will be graded. The feedback given is provided in confidence and staff should be clearly advised that it may not be used by the school for performance management purposes. Participation of the headteacher or senior staff in joint lesson observations 47. The lead inspector should invite the headteacher or a senior member of staff to take part in joint lesson observations. After a joint observation, the inspector and headteacher or senior member of staff must discuss their views about the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and learning they have observed. This might include observing the headteacher or other senior member of staff feeding back to the observed teacher. The inspector should observe the feedback, as this may provide evidence about the standard of discussion about teacher practice in the school and the effectiveness of the school s arrangements for professional development and performance management. If the headteacher or senior member of staff offers a written record, the inspector should consider this. Any differences in the analysis of the lesson and January 2015, No

18 judgements of achievement or behaviour should be discussed. This will also enable the inspector to: assess the quality of the school s evaluation of teaching collect evidence in order to make specific recommendations about further improvements to teaching and learning discuss the effectiveness of the school s performance management arrangements and professional development programme for teaching staff help the headteacher to understand the evaluations inspectors are making of the strengths and weaknesses of teaching and how teaching might be improved. 48. The lead inspector should be mindful not to overload the headteacher and/or senior member of staff and should also be aware of the potential impact on pupils behaviour of the presence of an additional member of staff in a classroom. The number of joint observations will be at the discretion of the lead inspector. 49. The inspector should complete an EF on the lesson observed and the feedback provided by the headteacher or senior member of staff. Any notes taken by the headteacher or senior member of staff should remain in the school; they should not be included within the evidence base for the inspection. Inspecting the impact of the teaching of literacy including reading Literacy includes the key skills of reading, writing and oral communication that enable pupils to access different areas of the curriculum. 51. Inspectors will consider the impact of the teaching of literacy and the outcomes across the range of the school s provision. They will use the evidence they gather to inform the overall evaluation of pupils achievement, the quality of teaching and the impact of leadership and management on raising standards. Inspectors will consider the extent to which the school intervenes to provide support for improving pupils literacy, especially those pupils at risk of underachieving. 52. During the inspections of infant, junior, primary and middle schools, inspectors must listen to children reading; among others, they should listen to lowerattaining pupils reading and should discuss their reading with them. Inspectors will hear the weakest readers in Key Stage 1 and later years. There may be occasions when inspectors need to hear lower-attaining pupils read in Years 7 and 8 in secondary schools. This is to find out how effectively the school is 22 Please refer to: Getting them reading early (110122), Ofsted 2014; 18 January 2015, No

19 teaching reading to its weakest readers and to assess whether the pupils are equipped with the phonic strategies needed to tackle unfamiliar words. 53. Inspectors should decide which pupils they will listen to, taking into account the school s progress data on reading and other information such as lesson observations. Inspectors should hear children read from books that are appropriate to their age, including from previously unseen books. 54. Wherever possible, inspectors should listen to children reading within a classroom or in an open area with which pupils are familiar. Inspecting the teaching of mathematics When evaluating the effectiveness of a school s work in mathematics through the analysis of performance data, observations in lessons and scrutiny of pupils work, inspectors will consider: how well the school is identifying and tackling inconsistency in the quality of mathematics teaching between different groups of pupils, key stages, sets and classes, including those taught by non-specialist teachers of mathematics in secondary schools how well teaching, in the mathematics lessons observed, through discussions with pupils and scrutiny of their work and by reviewing curriculum plans: fosters mathematical understanding of new concepts and methods, including teachers explanations and the way they require pupils to think and reason mathematically for themselves ensures that pupils acquire mathematical knowledge appropriate to their age and starting points, and enables them to recall it rapidly and apply it fluently and accurately, including when calculating efficiently and in applying arithmetic algorithms uses resources and approaches to enable pupils in the class to understand and master the mathematics they are learning. The national curriculum for mathematics 24 specifies the aims and then states, The expectation is that the majority of pupils will move through the programmes of study at the same pace. develops depth of understanding and readiness for the next stage. The national curriculum states, Decisions about when to progress should always be based on the security of pupils understanding and their readiness to progress to the next stage. Pupils who grasp concepts 23 Please refer to Mathematics: made to measure (110159), Ofsted 2012; 24 The national curriculum for mathematics January 2015, No

20 rapidly should be challenged through being offered rich and sophisticated problems before any acceleration through new content. Those who are not sufficiently fluent with earlier material should consolidate their understanding, including through additional practice, before moving on. enables pupils to solve a variety of mathematical problems, applying the mathematical knowledge and skills they have been taught. how well pupils apply their mathematical knowledge and skills in other subjects in the curriculum, where appropriate Other observations 56. Inspectors must ensure that they observe pupils in a range of situations outside normal lessons to evaluate other aspects of behaviour and safety, for example: at the start and finish of the school day during lunchtime, including in the dining hall, and break or play times during assemblies and tutor periods when moving between lessons. The use of data on inspection 57. Inspectors should use a range of data to judge a school s performance, including that found in RAISEonline, the school data dashboard, examination or key stage results where available, and internal assessments. No single measure or indicator determines judgements, particularly since much of the data may be historical and relate to pupils that have left the school. Inspectors should note that the introduction of an early entry policy and changes in GCSE examination structure have had an impact on the 2014 Key Stage 4 results. The changes should be taken into account when considering results alongside those of previous years, as neither direct comparisons nor production of three-year trends are possible. Details are provided in School inspection update The data, including that provided by the school, should be used to: check the accuracy of the school s assessment of pupils progress and attainment, particularly where there are no externally marked test or examination results check the robustness and accuracy of the school s self-evaluation, particularly on achievement, teaching, and behaviour and safety January 2015, No

21 59. When considering performance data, inspectors should take account of specific groups such as looked after children and the most able. 60. Where numbers of pupils are small and achievement fluctuates considerably from year to year, inspectors should take into account individual circumstances when comparing with national figures, and should consider any available data of aggregate performance for consecutive cohorts. New academies 61. When a school becomes an academy, an Academy Order is made by the Secretary of State. The predecessor school is closed and a new school, the academy, is established. The new academy is legally a new school, even though in many cases it is likely to be composed of the same pupils, teachers and buildings. Academy schools are independent of local authority control but are state-funded schools. Statutory regulations permit Ofsted to provide RAISEonline data from a predecessor school to the new academy. 62. When inspecting and reporting on academies, inspectors must have regard for their new legal status. Inspectors must take care not to include undue consideration of the progress and attainment in the predecessor school nor take account of the progress made by a new academy against the areas for improvement identified in the most recent inspection report of its predecessor school. 63. Although inspectors may take account of information relating to a predecessor school, either from a predecessor school inspection report or from another source such as RAISEonline, such information may only be used to inform the inspection of an academy during the period from the date on which the academy was established. However, information or data relating to a predecessor school may be used to inform the evidence base that is gathered during the inspection of the academy in order to enhance inspectors understanding about the performance of an academy; for example, whether the academy, since its establishment has: improved, consolidated or is responsible for a decline in the performance of pupils using the predecessor school performance as baseline tackled any areas of weakness or built on areas of strength. 64. Inspectors should make clear to academies the extent to which they can take account of the performance data that pertains to predecessor schools. 65. For the first section 5 inspection of the school since it became an academy, the report should say not previously inspected as an academy. However, for the first section 5 inspection of a converter academy, this must be explained in the context section. To ensure consistency, all first section 5 inspection reports for academy converter schools must include a factual explanation in the context section that follows the example below: January 2015, No

22 Kingsway Academy converted to become an academy school on 1 September When its predecessor school, Kingsway Secondary School, was last inspected by Ofsted it was judged to be satisfactory overall. 66. By doing this Ofsted will ensure that the appropriate context is provided to readers, and that reporting is both consistent and transparent for all academy converter schools. 67. Judgements made in a predecessor report are judgements about that school. They are not judgements about a converter academy. No reference should be made to key judgements in the inspection report for the predecessor school nor to the areas for improvement from the predecessor school s inspection. Meetings with pupils, parents, staff and other stakeholders 68. Inspectors must take advantage of opportunities to gather evidence from a wide range of pupils, including disabled pupils, those with special educational needs, those who are disadvantaged, those who are receiving other forms of support and the most able. This can be gathered, for example, in formal meetings and informally before and after school, at lunchtime and during break or play times. During informal conversations with pupils, inspectors must ask them about their experiences of learning and behaviour in the school, including bullying. When engaging with pupils in lessons, inspectors should be mindful not to disrupt the flow of teaching and any activities taking place. 69. As well as meeting pupils, inspectors should usually conduct meetings with: parents (these may be informal at the start and end of the day) staff other stakeholders. 70. These meetings must take place without the presence of the headteacher or senior staff. In drawing on evidence from meetings with pupils, parents, staff and other stakeholders, every endeavour must be made not to identify individuals. There may, however, be circumstances in which it is not possible to guarantee the anonymity of the interviewee. Inspectors have a duty to pass on disclosures that raise child protection or safeguarding issues and/or where there are concerns about serious misconduct or criminal activity. Meeting with governors 71. Inspectors will always seek to meet with governors, or members of the school s local board, the trustees of a multi-academy trust (where there is no local governing body) committee or other authority where schools are combined in managed groups, federations or chains, during the course of the inspection. 22 January 2015, No

23 72. Inspectors will expect governors to know about the strengths and weaknesses of the school. Inspectors will expect school governors to be familiar with, and understand, performance data, including the information that the school data dashboard presents for their school. 73. The contribution of governors to the school is evaluated as part of the judgement on leadership and management. As with the meetings between inspectors and pupils, parents and staff, meetings with governors should take place without the presence of the headteacher or senior staff. Reviewing evidence from registered parents and other stakeholders 74. Inspectors will review the evidence from Parent View and any other evidence from parents throughout the inspection, to ensure that all online responses received during the inspection are taken into account. Where individual parents raise serious issues, these should be followed up with the school and the school s response recorded. 75. Inspectors must also have regard to the views of pupils and staff, including those provided through the staff questionnaire, when making their judgements. Data from surveys of pupils or staff should be corroborated with other evidence where possible. 76. During integrated inspections of boarding or residential special schools, social care inspectors will take account of the views that parents have given on Parent View about the school s boarding or residential provision. Views of boarders or residential pupils and boarding staff will have been gathered through Ofsted s annual point-in-time surveys. 26 Inspecting partnerships and off-site provision 77. Inspectors may wish to speak to key partners who work with the school. They should make every effort to telephone or meet with those institutions where pupils are taught off-site to help assess the school s quality assurance arrangements. They must evaluate the rigour with which the school monitors the attendance, behaviour, learning and progress of pupils attending alternative provision. 78. Units dealing with pupils behaviour may exist away from the school site, but be run by the school. Sometimes, this provision may be shared by one or more schools. It is important to find out how this is monitored and evaluated on a day-to-day basis and over time. An inspector should visit the unit briefly to assess safeguarding procedures, the quality of teaching and how effectively the unit helps to improve pupils behaviour, learning and attendance. The visit 26 See Conducting inspections of boarding and residential provision in schools (100180), Ofsted, 2014; January 2015, No